The Best Meatloaf Ever

This meatloaf originated with the Splendid Table and cookbook author, Lucinda Scala Quinn.  I was listening to NPR as I was driving one Saturday afternoon and my mouth begin watering when I heard this.  I went to the website and made this meatloaf that night.  It is wonderfully delicious.  I put a little more garlic and onion than it calls for and I don't always put in the carrot.

Ingredients

1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

1/3 cup whole milk
2 pounds ground beef chuck
1/4 cup grated onion
1 carrot, peeled and grated
1 large egg
1 clove of garlic, grated
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/3 to 1/2 cup Chili Sauce (recipe follows) or regular bottled chili sauce

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F with a rack in the middle position. In a large bowl, soak the bread crumbs in the milk for 5 minutes.

2. Add the beef, onions, carrots, egg, salt, and pepper to the bread crumb mixture. Mix gently.

3. Shape the meat mixture into a loaf and put it in an 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch loaf pan. Make 3 holes, evenly spaced lengthwise, in the meat loaf and fill them to the top with the sauce. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

4. Pour any accumulated juices over the top of the meat loaf. Slice and serve with the remaining chili sauce on the side.

Chili Sauce

 Makes 3/4 cup

Ingredients

 

1/2 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon chili paste, such as sambal oelek
1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
  

Procedure

1. Mix the ingredients together in a small bowl.

 

Extremely Good and Easy Tomato Sauce

My Father taught me to make pasta sauce the summer I turned 14. The process entailed a free-association session with the kitchen: dumping everything in the pot that seemed italian. This included tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic, onions, parsley, oregano, basil, olive oil and then simmer for 45 minutes. The result was always different and never quite good. I tried over the years to figure out on my own recipe and eventually settled on a quick stir-fry of tomatoes, garlic and olive oil. It was not that satisfying but at least I got some flavor on my pasta.
When I had kids, my Mom gave me Marcella Hazan's "The Classic Italian Cookbook" because it contains several recipes we grew up with. Among 'Anchovy Pasta Sauce' and 'Green Sauce' there are 'Tomato Sauces I' & and Tomato Sauce II'. These last two recipes are what my mother refers to as 'Salad Sauce' because there they contain celery and carrots. As kids we hated the name 'Salad Sauce,' sounded like a trick.
I began making these two sauces as soon as I got the book. I loved that I always have these simple ingredients on hand and it didn't require a lot of work. Over the years I have perfected my own version of this sauce and I would like to share it with family and friends. It owes its richer flavor to three added ingredients: soy sauce, fish sauce and garlic. Luckily the quantities are so low that the sauce is still very much about the tomatoes.

Ingredients:

48 oz        Canned Diced Tomatoes
2/3 cup     Onions, Chopped
2/3 cup     Carrots, Chopped
2/3 cup     Celery, Chopped
1 clove      Garlic minced
1/2  cup    Olive Oil
2 tblspn     Soy Sauce
2 tspn        Fish Sauce

Process:
Combine tomatoes, onions, carrots, celery, garlic and olive oil in a medium saucepan. Cook at a low simmer for 25 minutes. Stir occasionally, be careful not to boil. Remove from heat. Add soy sauce and fish sauce. Puree until smooth. Salt to taste (you won't need much if you add the soy sauce).

Enjoy with spaghetti, polenta or your favorite pasta!

Green Sauce

In my house, the go to sauce for fish is "Green Sauce".  This recipe has evolved over 20+ years from an orginal recipe that I found in one of my favorite cookbooks of all time - Marcella Hazan's "The Classic Italian Cookbook". It was first published in 1973 and joined my household in about 1979. 
  

Official Version

Piquant Green Sauce

Salsa verde

From Marcella Hazan’s Classic Italian Cookbook

2 ½ T.              parsley, finely chopped

2 T.                  capers, finely chopped

6                      flat anchovy fillets, mashed in a mortar or bowl, or 1 T. anchovy paste

½ t.                  garlic, very finely chopped

½ t.                  strong mustard, Dijon or German

½ t.                  red-wine vinegar, if used for meat OR 1 T. strained lemon juice is used for fish

½ c.                 olive oil

                        Salt, if necessary

1.  Put parsley, capers, mashed anchovy fillets, garlic and mustard in a bowl and stir, mixing thoroughly.  Add the vinegar or lemon juice and stir again.  Add the olive oil, beating it vigorously into other ingredients.

2.  Taste for salt and piquancy.  Add vinegar or lemon juice if you want it tarter but add very small amounts at a time.

Sauce can be refrigerated for up to a week.  Stir it well again before serving.

Susan’s Version

I don’t like the flavor of parsley in this sauce so I use basil instead.  I don’t hand chop anything, preferring instead to use my trusty Cuisinart food processor which has been around in my kitchen since 1982 and is used on an almost daily basis.  I like this sauce to be very garlicky and tart so I add more of everything except olive oil.

1                      about ½ c of packed basil leaves (not chopped)

3 T.                  capers

8 or 9               anchovy fillets

2 cloves           garlic – go ahead and chop this a bit because you really don’t want any garlic                                 chunks in the sauce.

1 T.                  Dijon mustard – I’ve tried others but like Dijon the best

3 T.                  lemon juice

½ c.                 olive oil

Put everything into the food processor except the olive oil.  Pulse on and off, scraping sides, until everything is well blended but not mushy.  Add olive oil and pulse to desired consistency.  Sometimes you may need to add more olive oil.  Taste and adjust for salt….I love salty things but very rarely add salt to this because I use more anchovies and they are so salty.

I’ve been making this sauce for 20 years and have adjusted it to my tastes.  You will need to do the same for yours.

Laguna Red BBQ Sauce

My mother’s family is from a small town near Corpus Christi, Texas named Robstown.  Robstown boasted of a BBQ place named Joe Cotton’s that had a deliciously wonderful sauce.  The restaurant drew folks in from neighboring counties.  I remember going there with my grandfather and parents when I was young. It was a typical Texas BBQ joint – brisket falling apart served with sliced onions, pickles, a slice of white bread and sauce. Unfortunately, the restaurant burned down earlier last year.

My brother who does a lot of barbequing turned his attention to the original sauce recipe. Everything can be improved upon and my brother, Robert, certainly has done so.  Here is his take on the Joe Cotton sauce.  The original recipe is at the bottom for comparison.

Laguna Red BBQ Sauce

32 oz.        Zing Zang Bloody Mary Mix.  This is a full bottle.

1 1/3c.       Ketchup

4-6 T.        Yellow mustard

??              Worcestershire sauce – put in as much as feels right

1               onion, small, finely diced

1 jar          Trappey’s brand jalapeno’s

2-3 tsp.     ground pepper

                Salt to taste

3 T.           butter

4-5 T         lemon or lime juice

¼ c           garlic, crushed, to taste

Whip mustard and ketchup together because if you don’t, you’ll have little globules of yellow mustard floating in the sauce.  Pull all ingredients in a saucepot and simmer for 30 minutes or more. This will reduce the sauce and take some of the bite out of the onions and jalapeno’s.

You can also add some “Woody’s Cook-in Sauce”, a BBQ Concentrate and marinade sauce that has some liquid smoke added.  For the whole recipe above, use ½ c or to taste.

Recipe created by Robert Davis and modeled after Joe Cotton’s BBQ Sauce.

       

The Original Joe Cotton’s BBQ Sauce

23 oz         Tomato juice

2/3 c.        Ketchup

2 T            Onion, finely diced

1                          jalapeno, finely diced

½ t            salt

1T             margarine

Korean Spinach or Kale Side DishThis has become my signature dish for potlucks. It's delicious, healthy, and easy--and since you serve it at room temperature, it's very portable. Because the leaves cook down a lot, I usually make a double or triple batch. All of the measurements for the sauce are approximate or "to taste." I usually eat mine with a little Sriracha. Enjoy!


Ingredients:1 pound spinach or kale

Sauce:2 Tbsp soy sauce1 Tbsp sesame oil1 Tbsp mirin (optional)2 tsp rice wine vinegar2-3 cloves crushed or minced garlic1-2 tsp sugar1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

To Make:Bring a large pot of water to a boil. If using spinach, blanch the spinach in boiling water for 30 seconds. If using kale, leave kale in boiling water for 10-15 minutes, until leaves are soft.
Remove spinach or kale, strain in colander, and rinse in cold water.
(If using spinach, time is of the essence—remove quickly. Kale is more durable.) Gently squeeze leaves to remove excess water.Mix sauce and add to spinach/kale.Sprinkle on sesame seeds and toss.Serve at room temperature. Makes about 4 servings

Goat Dip

I suppose this dip came out of a necessity for nicety. Virginia, aka Scout, had been begging for a 'real' tea party for weeks and I finally had the time and fortitude to grant her wish. We decided on cucumber sandwiches because they come so highly recommended by Fancy Nancy. 

Cucumber sandwiches sound delightful: moist white bread, smooth texture, refreshing cucumber and good creamy fat. Unfortunately I have been mostly disappointed by dry bread and tasteless sandwiches. I set out to improve a bit on this traditional lady's luncheon food.

Gathering whatever I found that might be of use from the fridge, I soon started plopping things in the food processor. It turned out better than I could have hoped, mostly due to the goat cheese that needed using. For the sandwiches I merely spread the Goat Dip on potato bread, and a favorite of you know who, and cut off all the crust. I sometimes use a cookie cutter to make shapes for the kids. The Goat Dip is really great as a crudites dip and has become my go to for parties. Its easy to make and doesn't heat up the kitchen during the summer months.

Goat Dip. Photo and Recipe by Anna Sindelar

Goat Dip

Makes 3 cups. Great on sandwiches or a dip for veggies and chips. 

Ingredients:

3-4 Persian Cucumbers or 1 large American cucumber, sliced thinly 

3 tsp salt

5 oz Goat Cheese

6 oz Cream Cheese, cubed

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp parmesan, grated

1/2 tbsn assorted herbs: lavender, savory, sage, rosemary

Salt if necessary

Directions:

Toss cucumber slices with salt. Arrange slices up the side of a colander and let sit for 30-60 minutes. Pat cucumbers dry and dust off excess salt. Process cucumbers, herbs, garlic and parmesan in the food processor until finely chopped. Add cream cheese and goat cheese and process until smooth. Add milk if texture is too thick. Refrigerate.

The Tea Party was a success!

Double Orange Biscuits

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp grated orange rind

2 tbsp butter

½ cup orange juice

½ cup milk

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add orange rind. Cut in butter. Stir in orange juice and milk, mixing well. Knead lightly and mash out to a rectangle shape about ½” thick and 6” wide.

Paste

6 tbsp butter

2 tbsp flour

1/3 cup orange juice

grated rind of one orange

½ cup sugar

In a double boiler, cook all ingredients except sugar until thickened. Add sugar and remove from heat. If the sugar is added while it’s on the heat, some sort of chemical reaction takes place and the paste doesn’t thicken. Let cool. This can be kept in the refrigerator for some time, too.

Preheat the oven to 400F. Melt the rest of the stick of butter in the biscuit pan.

Spread the paste on the biscuits, but retain some to spread on their tops after baking and roll up, jelly roll style. Cut into 1” rounds and gently dredge one side in the butter, turning that side up. Bake till lightly browned on the top.

Pour the remaining glaze over them and serve warm.

A couple of notes:

These recipes were found side by side in a cookbook. The first one called for sprinkling the tops with grated orange rind and sugar. The second one called for plain old biscuit dough. I combined them to make double orange breakfast treats!

And I used Ginger Davis’ San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo Blue Ribbon winning biscuit mix. Adding buttermilk to the biscuit dough rather than milk.